The Festival

What to look forward to during this 4th edition

This year the Champs-Élysées Film Festival proudly celebrates its 4th anniversary. From humble beginnings, it is now well established, with three years of events, encounters and memories to strengthen its arm. Four opportunities for the audience to judge the three Competition prizes and attend every event, from the daily screenings to the most glamorous evenings. Fours opportunities to showcase a plethora of films, from French and American cinema, with the promise of rich and eclectic programming, from great restored classics to contemporary productions never seen before. Four opportunities to pride itself on promoting all forms of independent cinema, a form still largely overlooked given its daring creations and the talent of its filmmakers.

The programme for this 4th edition includes the Competition, the Parallel Sections, the Events the Professional Programmes and two new sections.

The Competition

Three selections of American and French films are in the running: eight American independent feature-length films, nine American short films and twelve French short films. Almost half of the short films are produced by American or French film schools. The winner of each category is awarded the Audience Award, during the Closing Ceremony. We are delighted to announce that the HD1 network is sponsoring the selection of French short films.

The Parallel Sections

Two selections of French and American classics, in restored or digitized version:TCM Cinéma Essentials: ten great American classics, for most of them soon to be re-released, competing for an award granted by a High-School Jury.(Re)Discoveries: a selection of ten, underrated or cult, rare French and American classics, which may or may not be re-released.
Three Young Audience screenings, for children and their families. This year, our partnership with La Ligue de l’Enseignement inspires a series of activities and film education.

Two new Parallel Sections for this 4th edition

For our 4th edition, we offer two thematic sections: Urban Atmospheres and American Spirit, which we wish to continue in future festivals. Both sections revolve around given themes and explore their different filmic representations. Each section brings together five films from the unique visions of their directors and includes open lectures during which audience members and speakers – academics, journalists, film critics – can freely exchange ideas.American Spirit: The Great Plains, the Gold Rush, Wall Street, conquering the West, the American Dream – how does the film become the painting or distorting mirror of these common references about the United States? How do filmmakers’ different visions disrupt our depictions? How does cinema sometimes even feed its own imaginaries? This year, this section will explore the theme of the Desert.Urban Atmospheres: Boston, Seattle, Chicago, Philadelphia – so many great cities which, marked by their history and their own rules, have become veritable crucibles of cinematic creation. How do filmmakers present the DNA of the American city? How does they reveal its raw aspect? How do they stage it? In other words, how does cinema deal with the city, but also how does the city sometimes make cinema? The city of Detroit, MI, launches this new section.

The Events

An array of special events form the highlights of this 4th edition:
The Opening Night, 9 June, and the Closing Ceremony, 16 June,
Amazing Premieres, every night, with the casts and crews walking the red carpet for the opening night of these French and American films never seen before.The Jeremy Irons Selection and the Émilie Dequenne Selection, two sections to get to know our Presidents a little better,
Five prestigious Master Classes, opportunities to discover exceptional filmmakers such as Alan Parker,
A William Friedkin Retrospective, to honour an icon of American cinema and subversion,
A Carte Blanche to the Safdie Brothers, whose films are emblematic of the contemporary New York independent cinema,
A Fashion Focus, first introduced during the 3rd edition, returns this year strengthened by its success,
And finally, the Special Screenings which this year include a spotlight on three documentaries never seen before and the Charity Evening to benefit the organisation Les Toiles Enchantées.

The Professional Programmes

The Festival continues to strengthen its industry-targeted events:

US in Progress Paris (9–11 June): this workshop, organised jointly with Black Rabbit Films and the American Film Festival of Wroclaw, presents five independent American feature-length films in post-production to European buyers and other industry professionals. At the end of the programme, the winner is awarded substantial financial assistance for help with the post-production, promotion and distribution of his/her film.

Paris Coproduction Village (10–12 June): this year, the 2nd edition of the coproduction market, organised by the team behind the Festival de Cinéma Européen des Arcs, will honour Brazil. For three days, fifteen projects selected from across the world and aiming to find a French or European co-producer, along with six projects from the Cannes Cinéfondation, will be presented to industry professionals.

The Round Table (12 June): journalists from Variety and Écran Total will moderate this open discussion whose theme is suggested by industry professionals. Samuel and Victor Hadida, CEOs of Metropolitan Film Export, are this year’s industry-guests. For the first time, the Round Table will open its doors to film school students who will be joining journalists, distributors and international vendors.

With its 4th edition, Champs-Élysées Film Festival writes, with you, a new page in its Golden Book.